Opie 308 Report post Posted September 7, 2007 (edited) http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app/?service=page&a...rticleid=336791 Check it out! Around the Central Division Datsyuk Red Wings -- The buzz at informal workouts in Detroit leading up to training camp has led a lot of the veterans to stop and gaze at the skills of 24-year-old winger Igor Grigorenko. The Red Wings spent a second-round draft choice on this prospect in 2001, when he had been playing on a high-scoring line in the Russian junior program with Pavel Datsyuk and Ilya Kovalchuk. The Wings gushed every time they talked about Grigorenko, even after he sustained a broken femur and a fractured tibia in his left leg and wound up on a ventilator following an embolism on his left lung in a near-fatal car crash in May of 2003. Four years later, he has finally returned to some of the form that distinguished him as an even stronger prospect than Datsyuk. The injuries have cost him a step of speed, but the hands are still magical and accounted for 13 goals in his final 30 games in the Russian Super League last season. Optimists in Detroit hope he can sparkle on a line with Datsyuk and Tomas Holmstrom. Knowing the Wings’ success at bringing along young, European and Communist bloc players, this story is likely to deserve a peek at Grigorenko by more than just Detroit fans. Edited September 7, 2007 by Opie Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
